The influence of different levels sets on change blandness manifestation

Abstract

Results of experimental studying of influence of unconscious sets of different level: operational (motor), goal and semantic (mind) (according to A.G.Asmolov) on expressiveness of a phenomenon blindness to change are presented. In 'flicker' paradigm 92 participants had to detect changes in two sequentially presenting images consisted of 5 or 20 colored squares. Three types of changes (appearance / disappearance, shift and change of the color of one of the squares) were used. Within intergroup design existence or lack of each of levels of sets varied. The goal and mindset were formed by instructions; motor set to the color of the squares was specially created during the preliminary task execution. The received results found positive influence of each of sets on indicators of accuracy of change detection. The maximum accuracy and at the same time minimum speed of change detection was shown by participants with both kinds of sets-goal and mindset. The received results are discussed within A.G.Asmolov's hypothesis [Asmolov, 1979] about hierarchical-level structure of sets and ideas of possible psychological mechanisms of the setting control over perceptual process in a situation of high uncertainty.